Middletown's Mater Dei Prep To Close After 50 Years

MIDDLETOWN, N.J. (CBSNewYork/AP) -- Mater Dei Prep in Middletown will close its doors in June soon after celebrating its 50th anniversary.

The Catholic high school has 340 students and employs 48 faculty members.

The Rev. Jeff Kegley wrote parents and students on the school's website that Mater Dei Prep has been running "large financial deficits'' while enrollment numbers have not stabilized to support the school's viability.

The projected loss this school year is close to $1 million, Kegley said.

The news comes as a surprise to many alumni.

"Everybody is in shock," a former student, named Maureen, told 1010 WINS' Rebecca Granet.  "There's a lot of people saying they need an investigation done, it doesn't sound right to any of us."

A GoFundMe page has been set up to help raise money to save the school.

"I feel horribly for the underclassmen, especially the juniors, you're looking forward to your senior year with the kids you went to school with," Maureen said.

Classes and activities will continue as planned until the end of June, Kegley said.

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